BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 June 1932, Page 5

BRITAIN AND IRELAND

ANNUITIES TRIBUNAL. [BY CABLE —PEESS ASSN.—COPYEIGHT.] LONDON, June 25. Mr. J. H. Thomas’s reply to Mr. De Valera’s note of June 16, has been- dispatched to Dublin. It expresses satisfaction at the Free State Government’s decision in regard to the land annuities as being a suitable question for reference to arbitration. The reply refuses, however, to accept Mr. De Valera’s suggestion that the personnel of the tribunal of arbitration should not be limited to citizens of the Empire. As Mr. De Valera did not mention the Oath in his note, it is not mentioned in the A further communication is being sent to Dublin immediately regarding anuities due and payable on June 30. If the Irish Free State replies that it does not intend to pay, it is expected that the Government will ask Parliament for special powers to deal with the situation in any way that it considers advisable.

NON-EMPIRE JUDGES WANTED. LONDON/June 25. The Free State Cabinet had a three•hours’ discussion on the British note. It was decided that Mr. Thomas’s suggestion to refer the annuities to a tribunal that would be confined to British Commonwealth arbitrators was not acceptable. In reference to payments on June 30, the Free State Cabinet decided that it would take no action until a formal demand has been received for the money, when a reply will be sent to London. The question, therefore, remains in suspense during the Eucharistic Congress.

Ml’ COSGRAVE INTERVIEWED (Recd. June 27, 10 a.m.) LONDON, June 26. An Australian Press Association representative at Dublin had an interesting chat with Mr Cosgrave who declined to comment on the treatment of the 'Governor-General throughout the Eucharistic Congress. He said he might say a good deal, but that would not help unity and amity of the Congress. Besides there was more danger of things being misunderstood outside than inside Ireland. “They don’t understand our political situation, in Britain, where such incidents loom bigger than here. You see we are not quite used to selfGovernment, and have just had our first change of Government. We are hardly trained to calm acceptance of the inevitable swings of the pendulum. .In on way it would benefit the Free State if the present Government were beaten at the earliest possible moment, but the longer view is it may be good for the people to plumb the depths of the stupidity of the present Government, which promised the people more than all the Statesmen in Europe together could give them.”